RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi will now have to fly like any other ordinary citizen, as the government has withdrawn direct tarmac access for their vehicle at Patna airport. An official form the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) said that the earlier order providing direct access to Lalu and his wife was applicable for Patna airport only and now that too has been withdrawn. The decision was taken after a letter was sent by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to the BCAS, asking the agency to withdraw the permission given in 2009 which allowed Lalu Yadav and his wife’s vehicle to drive up to the tarmac.

An excerpt from the letter reads, “It has now been decided that the permission accorded to Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav and Smt Rabri Devi vide the AVSEC order No 13/2009 dated 1/08/2009 may be withdrawn forthwith.” The letter also states that BCAS should take immediate measures to ensure that the order is properly executed. It may be recalled that the tarmac access was provided to Lalu and his wife during the earlier UPA government. Lalu was once the Chief Minister of Bihar, which is why he was given the facility for safety reasons. Lalu had to resign in 1997 due to corruption charges against him.